Asia's World Cup Qualifiers: Australia Falters, Japan Dominates

In Asia's World Cup qualifiers, Australia's struggles continued with a 0-0 draw against Indonesia, while Japan flourished with a 5-0 win over Bahrain. Iran and Uzbekistan achieved vital victories, with North Korea frustrating Qatar in a 2-2 stalemate. Meanwhile, South Korea secured a decisive 3-1 victory over Oman.

Asia's World Cup qualifiers saw a mixture of triumphs and setbacks on Tuesday evening. Australia's squad, guided by Graham Arnold, struggled to a goalless draw against Indonesia, denting their hopes after an initial defeat by Bahrain. Their closest effort came from teenage forward Nestory Irankunda.

Elsewhere, Japan asserted dominance with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Bahrain in Group C, led by stellar performances from Ayase Ueda and Hidemasa Morita. With this win, Japan secured the top spot in their group. Iran and Uzbekistan also celebrated victories over the UAE and Kyrgyzstan respectively, maintaining their strong starts.

In contrast, Qatar faced frustration as North Korea managed to hold them to a 2-2 draw. South Korea, overcoming their early hurdles, claimed a 3-1 victory against Oman, thanks to late goals from Son Heung-min and Joo Min-kyu. This win lifted pressure off coach Hong Myung-bo after an earlier draw with Palestine.

(With inputs from agencies.)